Weighted Feather
by whovianshipper
Summary: It took forever for Deanna Winchester to find out that Castiel had feelings for her, and even longer to act on them. Then, after a night together, Cas is gone, assumed dead. Deanna feels hurt, and when she finds out she's pregnant, she can't help but worry, not only for her future, but her child's.
1. Chapter 1

Deanna Winchester had been hunting on her own ever since her brother went missing a year before. She missed him, but after months of searching for him, she accepted that he either wasn't coming back or didn't want to be found.

The Impala purred as it raced down the road, the evening sky silhouetting the vehicle amongst the trees. Deanna glanced at the clock; it read 8:15. She considered pulling over to a motel; it had been a long day, after all.

It had taken her three days to track the damn vampire nest, and it had taken two hours just to kill them all. She reminded herself that she needed to stop pushing herself so hard; she was working alone now and she couldn't be reckless anymore. Not if she wanted to live anyway.

She wasn't always alone. She talked to Bobby often, and Cas would help out when he could, but he was busy, being an angel and all.

Deanna sighed. The thought of her angel made her heart throb. Was he her angel? She had no idea. Yes, she had feelings for him, but did he reciprocate them? Gabriel seemed to think so, but Deanna wasn't sure. As much as she wanted to believe what the archangel said, she knew she couldn't trust him. He was the trickster, after all.

Deanna glanced at a sign on the side of the road, informing her what she could find if she turned off on the nearest exit. She had the choice of three motels and multiple burger joints. _Oh,what the hell_. She thought to herself, turning on her turn signal as the exit came into view. She deserved a rest, after all.

* * *

Deanna bit into her burger, making a delighted noise as she chewed. _Damn, this burger is good. _She hadn't had this good of a burger since-

Deanna frowned. She hadn't had a good burger since her hunts with Sam.

She swallowed her bite and placed her burger back on the table. She had a lose of appetite, which really sucked. It really was a good burger.

With a sigh, she got up from the small table and walked over to the TV, switching it on before grabbing a remote and settling on one of the beds, channel surfing.

Infomercial. News. '80s sitcom. An old western. With a groan, she turned off the TV, throwing the remote to the side. Nothing on interested her.

With nothing else to do, Deanna pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly as she rolled onto her side. _Do NOT cry._ She told herself. _You've put up with worse than a missing brother. Come on, Dean, you are stronger than this. _

Her words did nothing to soothe how she felt, and soon she could feel her eyes stinging, tears filling them at a rapid rate. She opened her mouth to take in a deep breath, only to have a sob released. She raised a hand to her mouth, covering it and forcing the sobs to be silenced.

She glanced at herself in the closet mirror that sat across from the bed and cringed. She looked so weak, tears streaming down her face. She felt childish. What would her father think? He'd scowl at her, spit out a "Man up!" gruffly, remind her that she had to be strong for Sammy. But Sam was gone now, as well as her father. She didn't have anyone to be strong for anymore.

She wiped her face slightly, allowing another sob to escape. _At least Dad can't see me. _She chuckled through her sobs at the thought. He would be so disappointed in her, first going to Hell, then losing her brother. She had failed him.

"And I thought strippers had daddy issues." A cynical voice spoke from behind her, chuckling. Wiping her face, she turned. Gabriel.

Deanna narrowed her eyes. "What do you want?" Her voice shook slightly.

He tilted his head, smiling slightly. "Why, Deanna, are you crying?"

She glared up at him, gritting her teeth. "What do you care? You're the Trickster, you could care less about me."

Gabriel held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, just because I like to play tricks doesn't mean I don't care about your feelings!"

Deanna crinkled her nose. "Since when do you care about me?"

He smiled again. "Since you started spending more time with blurry eyes and a swollen face. If I remember correctly, that's not what you usually do with your free time, now is it?"

Even though her face was already red, she could feel herself blushing. She coughed slightly, embarrassed. "Shut up, asshole."

Deanna stood, making her way to the bathroom. She turned on the sink and splashed water onto her face tiredly. She felt Gabriel come up behind her. She turned around abruptly, finding him too close for comfort.

He smirked. "Make. Me."

Deanna knew hundreds of comebacks, learned and used over her many years of hunting. And yet, as the archangel stood before her, Deanna's mind blanked. She did the one thing that, if maybe her mind wasn't foggy from her sobs, she never would've done.

In a swift motion, she grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled his lips to hers, kissing him hard. He gasped slightly in shock, but rather than pull away like she expected, he stayed put, kissing her back with just as much force.

In the back of her mind, a little voice spoke. "_What the hell are you doing, Deanna?" Shutting him up. _She thought back, forcing the little voice to be silenced.

She moaned slightly as he pressed her against the wall, one hand on the small of her back, the other resting closer to her neck. He stared into her eyes for a moment before he met her lips again, his own lips parted ever so slightly. Dean parted her lips as well, allowing the kiss to deepen more so.

She knew she'd regret this, but she needed it. She needed to feel something she hadn't felt in a long time; She just couldn't figure out if what she wanted was love or lust.

At this moment, she didn't care. As she fumbled with his clothes, she closed off all her other thoughts and senses, allowing herself to fall apart just to him.

* * *

At first, when Deanna awoke, she couldn't recall the event of that night. She knew something was off though. For starters, she wasn't wearing anything. Secondly, there was a bulge stirring beside her.

Deanna gasped, raising a hand to cover her mouth. "Shit." She whispered. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" As quietly as she could, she pulled herself out of the bed, in search of her clothes.

_Why Gabriel? Of all the assholes I could've had a one night stand with, and I chose this douche? What the hell is wrong with me! _Deanna fumbled with her jeans, ignoring the fact that she wasn't wearing any underwear, and reached down for her bra, hooking it around her before putting her arms through.

From the bed she heard chuckling. "If I had known that you were holding that back, I would've been all over you _years _ago, Deanna."

She stood, forcing out a harsh laugh. "What happened meant _nothing, _you hear me? You were here, I needed comfort, that's all."

Gabriel looked at her, up and down, before smiling slightly. "Are you sure? Last night didn't feel like nothing to me."

Suddenly self conscious of her stare, she wrapped her arms around her chest, looking away slightly.

Gabriel snickered. "A little to late to cover yourself up, don't you think?"

In one swift movement, she stepped forward, punching him in the face. She fell back, holding her fist as pain pulsed through her arm. _Goddammit! _"Asshole." She muttered.

Gabriel clucked his tongue, tsking. "Oh, Dean...What's your angel going to think?"

Deanna froze, her throat suddenly thick. "Cas..."

Gabriel nodded, with a look of fake sympathy plastered on his face. "You seemed to forget about him real quick."

Deanna opened her mouth, then closed it. She had no idea what to say. Gabriel was right; what was Cas going to think? She swallowed hard. "I-I have to go."

She picked up her shirt from off the ground, pulling it on as she slide her feet into her boots, knowing that if she stayed any longer, she'd collapse.

From behind her, Gabriel started to speak, but Dean held up her hand. "Shut it. I don't want you to ever speak of this, you hear me? Don't mention it to me, and don't you dare mention it to Cas."

Gabriel shut his mouth at her tone, watching her as she reached the door. "This should have never happened." She spit out, wrapping her hand around the doorknob.

With a deep breath, she pulled the door open, stepping out slightly before gasping a sort of choking noise. Her eyes locked with the figure before her, who looked once at her, then at Gabriel, his eyes filling with understanding.

"Cas, it's not-!"

He glanced back at her, a look of disappointment in his eyes mixed with disgust, before he disappeared into the night without a word.

_Fuck._


	2. Chapter 2

**{A.N.: Thanks for taking the time to read my writing. I'm not the best writer, and I'm still trying to catch up on Supernatural, so I'm sorry if I get anything wrong. Enjoy, and leave a review!}**

Deanna stood in silence, staring at the place Castiel had been, dread and despair filling her body. Her hand gripped the door frame, her shoulders slumped slightly. _What will I do?_

As if reading her thoughts, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "I'll talk to him."

She turned to find Gabriel, fully clothed, with a some-what reassuring look on his face. She watched as he, with a snap of the fingers, disappeared.

Deanna stood for a moment before slowly shutting the door behind her. It was still in the early hours; she wouldn't have to leave for another three. And yet, as she sat down in a chair at the table, all she wanted to do was flee. As if running would destroy the evidence of the night, the truth of what she did. Deanna's lip curled in disgust as she glanced at the bed, sheets still thrown about, pillows piled on the floor.

With a sigh, Deanna stood and made her way over to the bathroom, needing the one thing that could make her feel clean; a shower.

* * *

When Gabriel found Castiel, he was walking down an old dirt road, hands in his pockets, a look of deep concentration on his face. At the sound of a flutter of wings, Cas turned around, finding him face to face with the one person he had no intention to see.

"Castiel, we need to talk."

Cas' eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

Gabriel sighed. "Look, I know what you saw seemed- we-" Gabriel had trouble thinking of the right thing to say.

Cas' eyes shifted around Gabriel's face before nodding slowly. "I understand, Gabriel."

Gabriel looked at him questioningly. "You do?"

Cas nodded. "Yes, Gabriel, I do. It seems that-" Cas sighed, "That Deanna chose you."

Gabriel was silent for a moment before snorting slightly, a smiling broadening on his face. "You're kidding, right, Cassie?"

Cas looked at him, head tilted, a look of confusion on his face. "I-I don't understand, Gabriel."

"You're kind of clueless sometimes, ya know that, Castiel?" He chuckled a little, shaking his head. "Dean didn't choose me; it was a fling."

"A fling?"

Gabriel dug around in his pockets, pulling out a candy bar before nodding. "Yeah. She was feeling emotional, I was there for her. Happens all the time."

Cas stood silent for a moment. "So- So she doesn't have feeling for you?" He asked slowly.

Gabriel scoffed. "No, she most definitely doesn't, why?"

Castiel stayed silent, just stared off into the distance.

A smile grew on Gabriel's face, an obnoxiously happy look on his face. "I knew it."

* * *

Deanna turned off the shower with a sigh, finally feeling less dirty. She reached over to the rack and grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her body before stepping out of the tub.

She felt drained. She wanted to go back to sleep, but she knew she really needed to get back on the road.

She wiped the mirror with her arm. She really did look tired. She considered her options. She didn't have a case yet, and Bobby hadn't found anything that she needed to look at, so it wouldn't do anything to stay another night, get some sleep. She hadn't taken a day off in forever.

With a sigh, she stepped out of the bathroom, holding the towel around her chest as she stepped into the main room. She shivered slightly; it was freezing. She messed with the thermostat before bending down to grab her clothes from the bag.

Behind her she heard the sound of wings fluttering and a scoff. She turned up quickly, eying Gabriel with a frown. "Don't you know how to knock?!"

Gabriel held up his hands defensively. "Whoa, calm down, Deano, it's not like I'm gonna try anything. I'm here to talk about Castiel."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What about him?" She said, gruffly.

He opened his mouth, about to answer, then smiled. "Oh, you know what, maybe I shouldn't tell. After all, you'll find out in a few days."

Deanna crossed her arms, careful to make sure the towel didn't slip. "Find out what, Gabriel?"

He didn't answer, instead looking at his nails as if he didn't hear her.

She gritted her teeth, quickly grabbing his shirt and pressing him against the wall. "I don't have time for your shit! Tell. Me."

He sighed slightly, pretending to be annoyed, as if he wasn't just messing with her. "If you really must know, your angel reciprocates your feelings."

Deanna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you've tried to tell me this before-"

"I actually mean it this time, dumbass!" Gabriel cut her off, looking pissed. "I wouldn't come all this way just to tell you something unless it was important."

"This qualifies as important?" Deanna questioned.

"Considering the events of last night, I say yes."

Deanna stared into his eyes for a moment, searching for a sign that he was lying. Reluctantly, she released her grip on him with a sigh. "So what should I do? He's probably still pissed about what happened, and I really don't want to explain myself to him."

"You don't have to. I took care of everything."

"Gabriel, I swear to God, if you-"

"I didn't say anything bad, Dean, I swear. I just let him know it was a one-nighter sort of thing." Gabriel shrugged like it was no big deal. "Everything's okay now."

Deanna searched his face again before reluctantly sighing. "Fine, if you say so. Now, could you give me some privacy? I kind of want to get dressed now."

_~Three Days Later~_

Deanna groaned as she awoke, her ring tone blaring loudly. Head still on the pillow, she reached out for her phone and raised it to her ear. "Hello?" She asked gruffly.

"Hello, Deanna. I-I have a case for you." She sat up slightly at the sound of Castiel's voice, rubbing her eyes slightly.

"Cas? Where are you?"

"Right here." Deanna jumped slightly as Cas popped up in front of the bed, staring at her, phone still to his ear.

"Jesus, Cas, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry. I wanted to get here fast and..." He trailed off, finally removing the phone from his ear, shutting it before shoving it in his trench coat.

Deanna sighed. "Yeah, I know, you wanted to tell me about a case. You mind if I get some coffee in me first?"

* * *

Fully dressed with coffee in hand, Dean was finally ready for what Cas had for her.

"There's a group a vampires that have been killing people in a town a few hours from here. They're not that big, but they're strong; they've been around for years. I don't think you can take them on your own."

"So, what are you saying? I'll need backup?" Deanna opened up a box of donuts she bought and bit into one.

Cas nodded. "Yes, that is why I am here. To help."

Deanna scrunched her eyebrows together. "Are you sure? You could get injured."

"No, Dean, I want to help; this wouldn't be safe for you to do alone. I realize you are used to killing vampires but...As I said before, they're strong."

She sighed, knowing Cas was right. She could use a partner, like in the old days, before Sam disappeared on them, on her.

Deanna finished her donut, wiping the powder on her old jeans before grabbing her keys. "You coming?"

* * *

It had been a while since someone sat shotgun in the Impala, giving her someone to chat with as she drove down a long stretch of road, surrounded by trees. And yet, even with Cas beside her to chat with, she couldn't think of anything to say. She should've known sleeping with Gabriel would make things awkward.

She sighed, and Cas glanced at her. "What is it, Deanna?"

She shook her head slightly, shrugging. "It's nothing, just- I'm really sorry, with the whole Gabriel thing. That-it shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have allowed it to go that far. I'm sorry."

Castiel stared at her in silence for a moment before nodding. "It's alright, Gabriel explained everything to me. Still-thanks for the apology."

Deanna glanced at him, smiling slightly. "Don't mention it."

They sat in silence once again, but this time it seemed more peaceful, now that everything was said and out of the way. They remained in a silent state until Cas pointed to an exit coming up. "Turn off here."

Deanna did as she was told, flipping on the turn signals before moving the car over into the other lane and taking the exit. Her eyes flickered to Cas as she drove; he seemed anxious.

"So how many people have these demons killed?"

Cas shrugged slightly. "I don't know exactly if they were killed; five people have gone missing since last week. They could still be alive."

"Hmmm. I suppose they could, if the nest wanted to save them for later. Do you have any idea where the nest is located?"

Once again, Cas looked unsure. "I-" He hesitated for a moment, thinking. "I do not know where they are hiding the bodies"

Deanna stared to open her mouth, giving him a weary look; Castiel cut her off, holding up his hand.

"But I do know where they're getting the people."

"So they're connected somehow?"

"You could say that."


	3. Chapter 3

**{A.N.: As usual, sorry for any spelling errors or if my writing is bad. I try my best, but yeah. Anyway, thanks for reading!}**

3.

"You have got to be kidding me." They had arrived at the destination, where the missing people were being taken from, and Deanna had to say that this one definitely not the place she had in mind. She glanced at Cas, eyebrows raised, laughing slightly.

"This is no laughing matter, Deanna." His face was emotionless except for his eyes, which were crinkled, confused on why Dean would be laughing.

She bit her cheek to stop herself from chuckling. "Sorry, Cas, but seriously? A strip club?" She scoffed slightly, as her eyes flickered back to the neon sign, glowing fluorescent beams.

Castiel nodded. "This is the last place these men were seen. I figured we should check it out."

Deanna sighed. "Ya know, I never thought strippers would be involved in this." She whistled. "Vampire Strippers; now that's a sight."

"We do not know if it's the strippers who are doing the kidnapping, Dean. That's why we are here. To investigate."

"Yeah, sure. But first, you're getting a lap dance."

* * *

The inside of the strip club looked exactly the same as any other strip club Deanna had been in. It had the same smell, the same polls; Hell, even the bartender looked like every strip club bartender Deanna had seen.

An overhead announcer voice spoke from a speaker, announcing the name of the next stripper; Roxy.

Deanna eyed the woman over, scoffing at her fishnets, boots, and large (presumably fake) breasts. "How original." Dean muttered under her breath.

"So... Where should we start?" She looked at Cas, who was eying Roxy curiously.

"Over there's as good of a place as any." She replied, gesturing to some seats equal distance from the stage and to the bar. She could still watch the strippers while getting a drink, couldn't she?

"Come on, Cas." They made their way over to the bar, where the man was wiping down the counter.

"What do ya want?" He asked, neither sounding rude nor pleasant.

"Two whiskeys, please."

"Nice choice. 've always liked a lady who can handle her alcohol."

She smiled slightly at him as she handed him a few bills, grabbing the glasses before turning and making her way over to the chairs, sitting down.

Handing the other drink to Cas, she took a sip of her own, sighing happily. "Ya know, Cas, this isn't half bad. Sort of relaxing, you know?"

Castiel nodded but Deanna knew that he wasn't getting it. Whatever, she didn't mind.

Knocking back the rest of the dark liquid, she placed the glass down on the table beside them, settling back into the chair.

Cas followed her example; she couldn't help but chuckle at the angel who had learned so many of her habits. He was using her as a guide for how to be human, and that made her smile.

A stripper from onstage approached them, glancing at Dean and Cas before plastering on a fake smile.

"Would either of you two like a dance?"

Deanna opened her mouth, but Cas beat her to the chase. "No; we'd like information." He narrowed his eyes at the stripper, and Dean could tell he was freaking her out.

"Sorry," Deanna intervened. "He's foreign, and is only getting used to the language. I think what he's _trying to say _is that he'd like the, er, dancer over there, Roxy."

The stripper smiled again, obviously relieved. "Oh, sure! Give her a few minutes, alright?"

The stripper swaggered off, and Deanna looked to Cas, rolling her eyes. "You can't just say that to strippers, Cas."

He tilted his head quizzically. "What, why?"

"Look, a lot of these girls have daddy issues or weird shit going on in there lives, so to ask them that is pretty terrifying."

"But what if they're vampires?"

"Then they're vampires with daddy issues. It could happen." She shrugged, like it was a completely normal thing to say.

Deanna glanced back over to where Roxy had been and noticed that she was nearing them, strutting in her huge boots and a slight smile.

"Hiya, heard you were asking for me?" Words flowed out of her mouth smoothly; Deanna instantly felt suspicious of the woman, no way could she trust her.

Deanna watched as the woman began her lap dance over Cas, and Dean realized with a sinking feeling that she was jealous. She looked at Cas, who was trying very hard not to look at the stripper's body, failing awkwardly.

Dean cleared her throat. "You hear about the disappearances in this town?"

Roxy's smile flickered for a second. "Oh, yeah, it's awful. How many has is been? Four? Five?"

Deanna nodded slightly. "Yeah. You know anything about that?"

The woman shook her head, a little too quickly for Dean's tastes. "No, sorry. What's it matter to you?"

Deanna reached into her pocket and pulled out her ID. "FBI. We're just asking everyone a few basic questions, see if they know anything."

"No one here will know anything. All our regulars are usually paying attention to the girls, not the other men."

Deanna smiled slightly. "Just thought I should ask, you know, just in case. I guess we best be on our way then." She dug around in her wallet and pulled out a few bills, handing them to her quickly.

"Enjoy your night." Roxy murmured as she walked away.

Cas turned to Deanna. "Are we leaving already?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure she's got something to do with all this. She was acting weird..." Deanna shook her head, sighing. "Come on, let's go back to the car."

* * *

Cas sat in the passenger seat, watching Dean pull out a flask, unscrewing the lid. She took a swig, then held it out to him. He followed her pursuit.

"Is this a- steak out?" He asked Dean hesitantly, wondering to himself if that was the right word.

Deanna shrugged slightly. "It's whatever you want to call it, Cas. We're just waiting for her to leave so we can follow her and see if she's hiding anything."

"Oh." Cas settled into the seat slightly.

Deanna glanced at him. There was something in his hair. She started to reach out to remove it, but pulled away immediately, feeling uncomfortable and awkward, his burning stare not helping. "There's something in your hair."

He reached up and removed what seemed to be a streamer. Deanna chuckled. "Nice."

Cas looked at the streamer for a moment, only breaking gaze when Deanna hissed. "There she is!"

They watched as Roxy walked out the building, glancing behind before walking at a quick pace. Deanna turned the key in the ignition, revving the engine before slowly pulling away from the curb the Impala was parked beside.

Deanna wouldn't say that she had done this a lot, but she definitely knew how to properly stalk someone. You had to move at a constant pace, and you couldn't follow too close, or else someone might call the cops. She would know.

"Hope you're ready for a fight, Cas."

He nodded silently, his grip tightening on a stake in his trench coat pocket.

Deanna glanced at the clock wearily. It was closing in on one am. She silently prayed this would finish quickly, and that they'd both come out unscathed. Or, at least, not completely torn apart.

Roxy turned a corner, and Deanna soon followed, breathing out heavily at the sight of an abandoned building in the distance. "I knew there was something up with her." Deanna muttered under her breath.

Deanna pulled the Impala over to the curb, not wanting to be noticed quite yet. She got out of the car, popping open the trunk as Cas shut his door, joining her. He watched as she grabbed a few blades and stakes, passing him a flask of holy water before grabbing one for herself.

"You ready to torch these mothers?"

They crept up on the building, quick but silent, Dean leading. Pressed against the wall, she peeked through the door.

In the center of the room was a group of them, seven that Deanna could see, but she knew there had to be more, especially since they were using a building that was so big. She swallowed heavily, her throat thick.

"Are you alright?" Cas whispered.

Deanna nodded. "Nervous. Way more than I expected."

Cas didn't reply, just looked at her solemnly, gripping his weapon of choice tighter.

In a quick movement, she put her hair up into a ponytail, knowing that leaving her dirty blonde hair down would just get in the way. She then cracked her knuckles and stretched out her arms, putting on a smile.

"Let's go kick their asses."


	4. Chapter 4

**{A.N.: Hey guys, thanks for reading! I cannot express how long it took me to write this one, stupid fight scene. I just couldn't write it, and even now I'm unsure that it's any good. Please leave a review, and enjoy!}**

Voices filled the room angrily; Deanna could make out Roxy yelling about something.

"I know you guys are starving but we can't keep killing!"

"And why the fuck not?" A brunet with a slight beard asked.

Roxy glared at him. "Why? Because it's kind of suspicious that all these people are disappearing from the same place!"

A shorter ginger-haired girl shrugged. "What's it matter, Rox? No one's raised an eye yet."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." They all turned swiftly at the sound of an intruder. Dean stood, smirking, holding her weapon proudly.

"Shit." Roxy hissed. "You have GOT to be kidding me."

"You know this chic, Roxy?" The brunet asked.

She sighed. "She's from the strip club. She-she asked a few questions about the disappearances. I- She must have followed me."

"Guess you should have been more careful, huh?" Deanna smiled slightly, and she tsked. "You guys make my job way more easier."

She raised her weapon and took on a fighting stance, squinting her eyes with a smirking chuckle. From behind her, two vamps ran forward, snarls on their faces. In a swift movement, Dean kicked on down and stabbed the other from behind, before doing the same to the vamp now lying on the floor.

"You're gonna have to do better than that!" She laughed, the noise coming out of her mouth a lot more confident than how she really felt.

Glaring eyes, the brunet hissed to to the ones beside him. "Let me handle this."

Faster than she expected, he raced at her, knocking her down with a kick to the legs, causing her stake to fly aside. She groaned, reaching for something in her pocket as he stepped closer, his grin growing.

"AHHH!" He screamed as the holy water burned his face. He fell to his knees, and Dean approached him, pulling out her knife-

"Get away, you bitch!" Deanna's head swept around as Roxy leapt at her, her eyes narrowed and fangs out. Roxy landed on top of her and they rolled, each throwing punches at the other, Roxy having the upper hand.

Deanna could feel her energy diminishing, her face bruising and bloodying with every punch. With a last strain of force, she kicked Roxy off of her, leaping up into a weakened stance.

_ Where the HELL is Cas? _She thought to herself, looking around. The other vampires had fled, including the brunet; she hoped that Cas has chased after them. Now it was just her, Roxy, and the petite ginger, who was cowering slightly. _I have to take her out._

But first she had to deal with Roxy. Dean silently wished that strippers didn't wear such high ass heels, especially the sharp, skinny heels that hurt like hell when being dug into one's leg. Deanna gritted her teeth, hissing from the pain, and threw a punch into Roxy's stomach. She attempted to punch her in the face; Roxy caught it, holding Deanna's fist in her hand with a tightening grip.

Deanna grimaced but pushed through the pain and kneed the bitch in the gut before slamming her down on the ground. _Cas was right. They are strong. _

She raised her fist and punched, hard, until her hand was numb and Roxy's face was black and blue. The vampire was losing her strength and seemed to be giving up. She didn't even try to block the punches that Dean gave.

Dean considered punching her around a few times, but something in Roxy's face stopped her. It was the face of someone who was tired of suffering, who was willing to sit back and accept the pain and punches thrown, just so that it would end. Dean recognized this face from somewhere, and with a intake of breathe she realized she had seen it on her own.

This thought alone was a long enough to distraction for the petite ginger to run towards her with a leap, grabbing Dean's shoulders before pushing her hard against the ground.

Deanna groaned. "How the hell are you so strong?" This girl had to have been fifteen when she was sired, if that, and she was definitely small for her age. She had to be 4'11", maybe five foot. And yet, somehow, she was the strongest.

The girl smirked, digging her nails into Dean's skin as the end of her mouth turned up into a sick smile. "_Never_ underestimate someone's size."

She pulled Dean up before slamming her hard against the concrete floor, still smiling a smile too sweet for the situation. "What, you thought that _I_, because I'm small, was the weakest here?"

She threw a punch, then another, directly at Dean's mouth, busting it up. "Did you think I was cowering in _fear_?" She laughed hard, loud. "Oh, Deanna, you stupid _whore_."

With a strength Deanna would've never guessed the girl possessed, the vamp lifted her high from the ground and flung her at the wall several feet away from them. Dean let out a whimper of pain.

From across the room, the girl approached her, stopping to check that Roxy was alive before continuing. "I've been around here longer than _any_ of these shitheads who call themselves vampires. In fact, I was hoping you'd kill them, get them out of the way for me. And then," She reached Deanna, "And then you went after my right hand man."

She kicked Dean once, hard, before grabbing the hunter's collar and lifting her up, pressing her against the wall forcefully. "She's the only one I actually really like, Deanna. She's funny, strong, and not afraid to sacrifice herself for me. She's everything a pack leader wants."

A choking noise escaped Deanna's lips as the pack leader wrapped her hand around Deanna's throat forcefully. "And then you come along, and somehow you take her down." She scoffed, releasing Deanna's throat as she shook her head. Deanna inhaled heavily, sinking to the ground weakly. Her eyes met Deanna's, a deep, throaty chuckling beginning. "Did you really think you could take me down, too?"

The question needed no answer, of course. Reaching down, she removed Deanna's knife, grasping it in her hand, feeling it's weight. "Hmm. Nice blade. Too bad you won't be using it anymore. You wouldn't mind me taking it, now would you?"

She looked at her reflection for a moment before bending down, grabbing Dean and lifting her up against the wall again. She plastered on a fake look of sympathy. "Any last words?"

Deanna glanced behind the vampire, a movement catching her eye. It was Cas, a little bloodied and bruised, but nonetheless still standing. His eyes stopped on Deanna, widening slightly before furrowing again, his mouth setting into a tight line.

Deanna looked back at the bitch who hadn't even realized that Deanna was looking away. Gathering her strength, she swallowed.

"Last words? Sure. Look behind you, you red-headed bitch."

From behind Cas appeared, stabbing the girl through the stomach. She made a sort of gagging sound, a look of bewilderment as she sank to the floor, clutching the wound. She was dead by the time her head hit the ground.

Cas sighed tiredly. "The others were easy to kill off, but it seems she was different." He placed the knife back in his trench coat. "Are you alright, Deanna?"

She suddenly remembered just how much of a beating she had taken, for as she nodded, her legs gave out from under her, causing her to sink to the floor.

Cas dove to grab her, a worried expression eying her. "You are in a lot of pain. We need to go."

She shook her head, the room spinning slightly. "N-no, there's another- Roxy's on the floor over there, I didn't have time-" She trailed off, her entire face inflamed with pain.

Setting her down carefully against the wall, Cas turned and walked over to the bloodied mess that had once been a vampire that had once been a human. He pulled out his blade and killed her quickly, as if knowing that she had been suffering.

He ran back over to Deanna, who was losing consciousness. He put his hands on her face, tapping his fingers on her cheeks. "Dean? Come on, Deanna, you have to stay awake. I'm going to get you out of here, than you can close your eyes."

Her eyes flickered open slightly as she attempted to stay with him, blinking multiple times. "Okay." She said softly, a sort of tired, mumbling noise.

"Good. Where do you want to go, Deanna? Back to the hotel, or Bobby's place?"

She looked up at him, thinking thoughts that flew around in her head loosely. She heard herself mumble, "Hotel."

Before she could persist, he lifted her into his arms, holding her with a protective tightness as he zapped them back to the hotel.

He laid her carefully on the bed, pulling back the sheets and spreading them over her, forgetting that she was covered in blood. Those stains would worry the maid in the morning, but for now all Cas wanted was for Dean to be comfortable.

He watched her as she fell asleep, her breath soft as she snuggled into the blankets.

Cas couldn't help it; he leaned down and pecked her forehead before settling down on the bed next to Dean's, making sure that he would be there when she awoke, ready to help. As always.


	5. Chapter 5

Deanna didn't sleep for long, waking up after two hours or so, feeling sore. She sat up slightly, blinking two, three times to wake herself up before noticing Cas.

She smiled slightly. "Hey, Cas, how are things?"

He stood up from the bed and took a step so that he was standing right next to her bed. "I am fine, Deanna. How are you?"

She shrugged, then winced. "I'm not as tired anymore, but yeah, I still ache. It's okay though."

He nodded slightly, thinking as he looked her over. "I believe I should check your wounds."

Her nose crinkled as she stared up at him. "Um-"

"I wanted to make sure you got some rest. I just want to make sure none of your wounds are infected."

With a sigh, she pulled back the blanket, cringing at the sight of all the blood stains on the sheets. "Oops."

With a gentle touch, he prodded her face with his finger tips, making sure the wounds were closed while asking how much each spot he touched hurt.

She cringed slightly as he touched her lip, but other than that her face barely pained her. Then again, she was used to pain.

He checked her arms and chest, finding a few scratches but mostly bruises, things he didn't need to worry about.

His hand dropped to her leg, noticing a blood stain. He poked it carefully; her leg jerked with a wince, her face twisted in pain. He prodded the wound again and got the same reaction, along with a pissed off look from Dean. "Could you hurry up, Cas? I want to take a damn shower."

"Of course, Deanna, but first could you remove your pants?"

Her mouth fell open slightly as she stared at the worried angel. "Now is not a time to be propositioning me, Cas."

His nose scrunched up. "That is- not what I meant." He said slowly. "I just want to make sure it's not serious; you seem to be in pain when I touch it."

_Well this is going to be awkward. _She thought to herself as she unbuttoned her jeans, trying not to be weird about it as she slid her pants off her legs.

He kneeled down in front of her, eyeing the deep cut on her leg as she stared off at the wall, knowing that watching him look at her would just make the situation worse.

He clucked his tongue, mumbling slightly to himself. She cleared her throat. "What was that, Cas?"

He looked at her. "I don't think you'll need stitches, but it does look pretty bad. Let me retrieve some disinfectant."

He disappeared into thin air, and Dean rolled her eyes. "Or you could just say rubbing alcohol. Idiot." She sighed aloud, glancing down at her leg, wincing slightly at the sight. He was right; it was pretty ugly, but she'd had worse.

She attempted to stand but her body fought against it, reminding her that the fight she had been in was pretty tough. She sighed, wishing she had listened to Cas when he said that this nest was strong. Thank God he was there, or else Deanna probably wouldn't be alive to feel this pain.

Cas popped back into the room, holding a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls. "I believe this will work."

Deanna bit her tongue to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she sat back, giving him room to clean the stab wound. He kneeled before her, gently applying the clear liquid. Deanna flinched, the alcohol spreading a burning sensation across her thigh.

Cas looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, no, it just stings. Keep going."

He went back down, and Deanna couldn't help but stare at the back of his head, thinking about how, if this had been another situation, different things would be happening.

She blushed at the thought, swallowing heavily. _Not now, Dean. Now is not the time. _

Cas sat back up, and Deanna noticed that he had dressed the wound with a bandage.

"Thanks, Cas." She said, with a slight smile.

"No problem, Dean." He sighed, a look of exhaustion on his face.

Slowly, she pushed herself up off the mattress, feeling stronger than before. "I think I'm going to take a shower. See you in an hour?"

Without another word, he popped away, leaving Dean to stumble off into the cheap motel bathroom.

She grabbed a towel from the stack outside the door, hanging it on the rack before closing the door. She removed her shirt so that she was only in her bra and underwear, then turned and stared at herself in the mirror.

"Damn." She murmured under her breath, examining all the bruises and scratches on her skin. She prodded a purple, swelling bruise on her neck and winced, the soreness spreading through her body.

Sighing, she turned on the shower, unclasping her bra and stepping out of her underwear before entering the shower, allowing the heat burn her skin, remove the pain. She closed her eyes, breathing in the smell of steam and mildew as she scrubbed shampoo into her hair, removing all the dried blood and filth she had attained during the fight.

It took her forever to feel clean again, and even after she was sure all the dirt and blood was removed, she stayed in the shower longer, knowing that once she stepped out the soreness would come back.

It was only when Deanna was sure she had been in the shower for at least an hour had she finally turned the knob, cutting off the stream of water. She grabbed the towel off the rack, wrapping it around her body as she stepped out, water dripping from her long hair, rolling down her legs.

She stepped out of the bathroom quickly, a burst of cold air covering her body with goosebumps. Cursing under her breath, she glanced at the clock, searching for clean clothes. _Might as well put on some sweats and get into bed. _

She pulled a pair of black sweats on, clasping a black bra on as well before grabbing a clean towel, bending over and wrapping it around her head messily.

"Hello, Dean." She snapped up quickly in surprise at Castiel's sudden appearance. Remembering that she didn't have a shirt on, she wrapped her arms around her chest.

"Dammit, Cas, you can't just sneak up on a girl like that, especially when she's in the middle of getting dressed!"

His brow wrinkled. "My apologies, Deanna." He said, slowly.

She sighed. "It's fine, Cas. Just- hand me that shirt." She gestured to a red shirt resting on her bed. He tossed it to her, and she slid it on quickly, hoping that he wasn't staring.

He wasn't. He was staring off at a wall awkwardly. She chuckled slightly. "You're so weird."

She walked over to her bed, pulling back the covers to get in. "Oh, right." The bed was stained with blood.

She turned on her heel and sat down on the other bed, pulling back the sheets before settling in. Cas remained standing.

"How about some tv?" She asked, holding up the remote.

He nodded. "I would like that."

Dean turned it on, switching through the channels and finding nothing. With a sigh, she settled on a cooking show. She pulled the covers up to her chest, propping up the pillows. She glanced at Cas; he was _still_ standing there.

"You know you don't have to stand, right, Cas?" She asked, an odd look on her face.

Slowly, he sat down on the bed across from Deanna, the one stained with her blood.

She rolled her eyes. _Dammit, Cas, sometimes you are a real pain in the ass. _"Alright, Cas, what's going on?"

He tilted his head, staring at her. "Nothing, Dean, I just thought you might want to sleep soon and that you'd want some space..."

She snorted, rolling her eyes once more before gesturing for him to sit beside her. "Get your ass over here, Castiel."

Hesitantly, he sat down at the end of the bed, his hands resting on his lap. She sighed, knowing there was nothing she could say to get Cas to sit next to her, especially with him acting so strange. She guessed the behavior was the result of him catching her without her shirt. _Why does he have to be so goddamn awkward all the time? _

She snuggled into the blankets more, turning her attention from the strange angel to the competitive cooking show displayed on the screen, wondering to herself how the hell cow tongue is considered an ingredient.

* * *

It only took an hour for the tiredness to return to Deanna, her eyes heavy as she attempted to hold back her yawns, trying her best to hide them from Cas.

He noticed, eying her. "You should get some sleep."

She reached to the desk beside the bed, switching off the lamp. She curled up in the bed, almost asleep when she remembered something.

She sat up slightly. Cas was still there, sitting at the foot of the bed, staring at her. In the dark.

"Uh, Cas?"

"Yes, Deanna?"

"You're kind of freaking me out, buddy," She said with a slightly chuckle. "Get into the bed."

He was silent for a moment. "Are you su-"

"Get your ass over here." She stated strongly, her words not requesting him to do so, but telling him.

He obliged, walking over to the side of the bed as Deanna pulled back the covers to let him in. He kicked off his shoes and shrugged out of his trench before settling down, laying on his back.

Deanna turned onto her side, facing the other bed, a smile plastered on her face as she drifted off into a deep sleep.


End file.
